First class, last stage.

Volkswagen claimed their twelfth WRC title in four years at Rally Great Britain. Clinching the Manufacturers’ title in the FIA World Rally Championship in the zippy Polo R WRC, Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia cemented their sixth win of the season, giving Volkswagen an unbeatable lead in the Manufacturers’ Championship. Volkswagen joins rival Citroën as the second manufacturer in the history of the World Rally Championship to win all three world titles four years in a row.

The latest victory marked the first time Ogier and Ingrassia have won the same round of the World Rally Championship four times in a row. However, conquering Rally Britain was no stroll in the park. They tackled rain, shine, temperatures above 10° Celsius, along with extremely slippery and demanding conditions of the 22 special stages. Leading from the onset of the opening stage, Ogier and Ingrassia took full advantage of the slight benefit that came with opening the route as the championship leaders.

Of course, their victories on the track could not come into play without the help of their trusty Polo R WRC. Making its debut at the 2013 Monte Carlo rally, it is the most successful car in WRC history with 42 wins in 51 rallies, with 85 podium finishes to its name. To further close off an excellent season, Andreas Mikkelsen signed off Volkswagen’ World Rally Championship era with victory at Rally Australia, 14.9 seconds ahead of team-mate Ogier.

Though the incredible Volkswagen WRC journey has come to an end, Volkswagen Motorsport Director Sven Smeets had this to say: “Of course, we regret the departure from the WRC very much – as this was the most successful chapter in the Volkswagen brand’s motorsport history.” He further explained, “From now on, the focus is on upcoming technologies in motorsport and on our customer sports range, where we will position ourselves more broadly and attractively.”

Going to miss Ogier, Mikkelsen and Latvala? Watch this very special moment with the Volkswagen WRC team frozen in time: http://bit.ly/2g8MREK

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